h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

We didn't prepare at all Hyp, with everything going on for the last few months we did no training whatsoever. Am still a bit stiff and sore.

I am completely unable to take so called afternoon 'power naps' - either I can't fall asleep at all, or I fall asleep too soundly, sleeping at least a whole sleeping cycle (for me, that's 1 hour 35 minutes, yup, tried a gadget once to measure them).

In worst case, I'll fall asleep for several cycles and not wake up until in the middle of the night, or with a few hours left until the alarm goes off.

[GDZ]

Well done Kelli and Eats.

Hello Tartaronne, sounds like you've been busy.

I don't have any birds that wake me up, just Monty , who has the art of plaintive mewing down to a t.

My dogs have decided that I should get up as soon as the sky starts to lighten. This time of year it's a bit too early. Funny how our pets get into their little routines.

" just Monty , who has the art of plaintive mewing down to a t." That's our cat Pickles too. The first hint that someone is awake and she's by the bed, mewing, squawking and purring like a steam train. She then manages to get under our feet every minute we're up until her bowl is filled.

Our neighbour did the Edinburgh Moonwalk, kelli. She loved the experience and has asked Mrs Eats to join her team next year.

A busy day felling and cutting up logs. I was covered in Scot's Pine resin. The younger trees (25 years these ones) weep resin like mad when they're cut. A warm sunny day too, which made it hot work, but extremely satisfying.

*Please note that I have no intention of heading for a rainforest!*

"Weep resin" Quite a beautiful turn of words there, Eats

Naps? Mmmmmm, nap ...

[Mr. D ]

For any cat lovers who have yet to discover Simon's cat, you definitely need to see the short films.

Here's his version of being awaken by a hungry cat (one of my favourites):

http://www.simonscat.com/Films/Cat-Man-Do/

Brilliant little cartoons. The kids love them.

*Quarter past nine at night, sun streaming through the windows and a hot chocolate with whisky and whipped cream on top. Bliss*

It'll barely get dark tonight.

I'll never forget how flummoxed I was my first night in Scotland, for it still to be light at 10 in the evening!

The red-winged blackbird has a song about 3 or 4 seconds long, and it's kind of pretty, until you get thousands of them together.
I found a really well-shot video of different male redwings doing their stuff:
http://youtu.be/q3QicOAiBXk

evening all

Evening Taff.

As far as I know, we only have the more discreet common blackbird in Sweden but, on the other hand, it's a pretty good singer. Occasionally, it has also been known to imitate other birds:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=130_sb8opmQ&feature=related

I definitely stayed up too late!

You know how, once something has caught your attention, it seems to pop up everywhere, all the time?

Well guess what? On my walk from the tube station to the office, the blackbirds were singing most of the way, one of them didn't even fly up when I walked right past it, but a half-grown blackbird skittled out of the way.

Lil for the link - and Ti. Swedish blackbirds sing almost like Danish blackbirds

And these are the times for light nights - or bright nights. In the far north of Denmark, Skagen, on a fine day, there is only a couple of hours with dusk going straight into dawn. No night to speak of. It must be even brighter for a longer time in Stockholm?

*Skittled out of the way*
You weren't bowling at them, were you? STRIKE!

<BB<

[Nick - loving the visitors to the birdy-bath]